Minor Fictional Characters in The Tale of Krispos
This article lists the various minor fictional characters who appear in The Tale of Krispos trilogy within the Videssos Series. These characters play, at best, a peripheral role in the series. While they were usually given a name, some weren't. Most were simply mentioned or had a very brief, unimportant speaking role that did not impact the plot, and never appeared again. Agrabast (Krispos Rising) Agrabast was a groom in Iakovitzes' stables. He bet a gold piece against Barses that Krispos would sleep with the boss, and paid up swiftly when he lost.The Tale of Krispos, p. 86. Aulissa (Krispos the Emperor) Aulissa was the wife of the mage Zaidas, and mother of Sotades.Ibid., p. 689. She was known for her beauty and strength of will.Ibid., p. 842. Balbad of Khatrish (KR) Balbad Badbal's son was a Khatrisher Khagan who drove the Videssians across the Mnizou River. At least three generations later, this fact was used by Lexo in his argument for keeping Khatrish's borders stretched to the same river.Ibid., pgs. 96-97. Barses (KR) Barses was a groom in Iakovitzes' stables. He and Meletios engaged in fisticuffs with newcomer Krispos, but soon learned to coexist. Krispos' holding his own against the two won him the acceptance of the others. Beshev (KR) Beshev was a wrestler from Kubrat who accompanied Ambassador Gleb to Videssos the city. Boasting of many past victories, including the defeat and slaying of a Videssian named Stylianos, Beshev challenged any Videssian to a match in the Hall of the Nineteen Couches. The horse-groomer Krispos accepted, and was able to hold his own against the champion. Krispos soon deduced that Gleb was aiding Beshev magically, and eliminated this problem in a clever way. Eventually he wore Beshev down and knocked him into unconsciousness. Victorious, Krispos refused the gold which spectators threw at him, stating that he fought for Videssos, not for personal glory.Ibid., pgs. 154-160. Brison (KR) Brison was a Khatrisher wool-merchant who encountered Iakovitzes' party at the city gates of Opsikion. Iakovitzes considered Brison too dull to know when he'd been insulted.Ibid., pgs. 92-93. Bryones (Krispos of Videssos) Bryones was a priest of Phos at the monastery of holy Nestorios. He supported General Petronas and former Patriarch Gnatios in their rebellion, preaching that Krispos was a false Avtokrator and Pyrrhos a false Patriarch.Ibid., p. 391. Chihor-Vshnap (KR, KoV) Chihor-Vshnap was Ambassador from Makuran to Videssos, representing Nakhorgan, King of Kings. After the downfall of Sevastokrator Petronas, who had invaded and conquered some Makuraner border regions, Chihor-Vshnap met with Vestiarios Krispos (representing Avtokrator Anthimos III) to negotiate the transfer back to Makuran of part of those regions.Ibid., pgs. 280-281. Chihor-Vshnap met again with Krispos, who was now Avtokrator himself, to bring Nakhorgan's demands for the return of a small region in Vaspurakan. Krispos, embroiled in the war against Harvas Black-Robe to the east, had no choice but to comply.Ibid., pgs. 526-529. Damasos (KoV) Damasos, a priest of Phos, headed the healing faculty at the Sorcerers' Collegium in Videssos the city. He oversaw the treatment of Iakovitzes' mouth wound after Harvas Black-Robe had torn out the diplomat's tongue.Ibid., pgs. 409-410. Eroulos (KR) Eroulos was the steward of the household of Petronas, Sevastokrator of Videssos.First appearance: ibid., p. 162. Evripos senior (KoV) Evripos was the father of General Rhisoulphos and grandfather of Empress-Consort Dara. Dara named her second son Evripos after her grandfather.Ibid., p. 494. Evtykhes (KR) Evtykhes was the cook at Tanilis' estate. Gelasios (KR) Gelasios was a healer-priest of Phos who treated Phostis' wound from a Kubrati raid.Ibid., p. 49-51. Glavas (KtE) Glavas, a healer-priest of Phos, officiated the wedding of Phostis and Olyvria at Etchmiadzin, Videssos.Ibid., pgs. 977-978. Gleb (KR) Gleb was a Kubrati ambassador to Videssos during the reign of Avtokrator Anthimos III. He brought Beshev the wrestler to challenge any Videssian to a match at a formal gathering in the Hall of the Nineteen Couches. Krispos, the servant who answered the challenge, deduced (by watching the ambassador's hand movements) that Gleb was a mage who was giving Beshev an unfair supernatural advantage, a problem which he solved by "accidentally" kicking sand into Gleb's face so that he could not concentrate on this. Sevastokrator Petronas, when Krispos told him of this, recalled that Gleb often made the same hand movements during their diplomatic dickerings, attempting to gain a diplomatic advantage that way.Ibid., pgs. 154-161. Gomaris (KR) Gomaris was the chief steward of Iakovitzes' household. Gumush of Khatrish (KR) Gumush was a Khagan of Khatrish whose reign coincided with that of Anthimos III, Avtokrator of Videssos. Gumush sent his emissary Lexo to a meeting in Opsikion, to negotiate with the Videssian diplomat Iakovitzes and determine the correct border between their respective nations. Wherever the border was, Gumush consistently had his agents smuggle amber across it. He was later succeeded by his son Nobad. Heraklonas (KR) Heraklonas, a healer-priest from the Sorcerers' Collegium in Videssos the city, cured Iakovitzes' leg after it was broken when the nobleman fell from his horse while hunting. This happened sometime before Krispos entered his service.Ibid., p. 123. Note on names Heraklonas was also the name of a historical Byzantine Emperor who has also been referenced in Harry Turtledove's work. Ibas (KR) Ibas was a used horse salesman in Videssos the city. He offered to sell a gelding to Vestiarios Krispos, claiming that the horse was seven years old. While Krispos was willing to buy, his foster brother Mavros pulled him away, pointed out that the animal's teeth were filed down to make a 12-year-old horse look seven. Mavros told Krispos that Ibas was not to be trusted.Ibid., p. 234. Idalkos (KR) Idalkos was the Videssian soldier who was Krispos' first fighting instructor after his ransom from Kubrati captivity. He led the farmers' militia against a subsequent Kubrati raid.Krispos Rising, chapter II. Ivera (KR) Ivera was the wife of Roukhas. Phostis' wife Tatze, despite their husbands' rivalry, traded recipes with Ivera.TToK, p. 15. Laonikos (KtE) Laonikos was a Thanasiot who partook in the Last Meal ceremony along with his wife Siderina. The ceremony was attended by their son, their daughter, Laonikos' two brothers, and also by Phostis, Olyvria, Syagrios, and numerous others.Ibid., pgs. 843-845. In all probability, they were murdered before their natural starvation deaths by the mage Artapan to harvest to their death energy. Likinia (KR) Likinia was Krispos' second girlfriend, on his rebound from Zoranne.Ibid., p. 40. Loutzolos (KoV) Loutzolos was a priest of Phos, censured by Patriarch Pyrrhos for wearing robes with silk in the weave, vestments entirely too luxurious for one of his station.Ibid., p. 392. Malalas (KR) Malalas was a tax collector for the Empire of Videssos. Trusting no one, he imposed on a cholera-devastated village the usual quota, ignoring the villagers' protestations that the outbreak had left them short handed and unable to bring in the required harvest. He insisted that the villagers were lying and concealing the missing personnel in the trees. He threatened reprisals for unpaid levies and took as a compliment Krispos' assertion that he was a worse thief than bandits from Kubrat. Seeing that farming was no use if its fruits would only be stolen by either bandits or the government, Krispos left the village and made his way to Videssos the cityIbid., pgs. 61-65. Malomir of Kubrat (KR) Malomir succeeded his father Omurtag as Khagan of Kubrat while Anthimos III was Avtokrator of Videssos.Ibid., p. 137. He was the last Khagan of Kubrat, deposed (and presumably killed) when the country was overrun by the forces of Harvas Black-Robe. Manganes (KR) Manganes was the leader of the detachment of soldiers summoned to protect Krispos' village from a Kubrati raid. Their presence was thankfully unnecessary, as the farmers had already beaten back the bandits.Ibid., pgs. 48-51. Meletios (KR) Meletios was a groom in Iakovitzes' stables. He and Barses engaged in fisticuffs with newcomer Krispos, but soon learned to coexist. Krispos' holding his own against the two won him the acceptance of the others. Meletios was one of the handful of grooms who said yes to Iakovitzes' bedroom propositions, and at first regarded Krispos with suspicion as a rival in that way. Mokios (KR) Mokios was a healer-priest of Phos, who attempted to stem the cholera outbreak in Krispos' home village. Though he saved Yphantes and several others, he was unable to save several victims, including himself.Ibid., pgs. 55-60. Nazares (KoV) Nazares, a priest of Phos, was a healer at the Sorcerers' Collegium in Videssos the city. He treated Iakovitzes' mouth wound after Harvas Black-Robe had torn out the diplomat's tongue. His job was made difficult by Harvas' use of an anti-healing spell, but he stopped the wound and saved Iakovitzes' life.Ibid., pgs. 410-413. Nobad of Khatrish (KtE) Nobad was a Khagan of Khatrish whose reign coincided with that of Krispos, Avtokrator of Videssos. Like his father Gumush before him, Nobad controlled the amber trade and organized smuggling missions into the Empire of Videssos to avoid import duties, and sent emissaries to haggle with the Avtokrator to reach new agreements on tariffs and trade.Ibid., pgs. 697-701. Norikos (KoV) Norikos was a priest of Phos at the monastery of the holy Thelalaios during the patriarchy of Gnatios under Avtokrator Anthimos III. After the rise of Avtokrator Krispos, the new Patriarch Pyrrhos censured Norikos for flagrantly cohabitating with a woman despite his vow of chastity.Ibid., p. 392. Omurtag of Kubrat (KR) Omurtag was a Khagan of Kubrat, whose reign coincided with those of Videssian Avtokrators Rhaptes and Anthimos III. On one occasion, Omurtag presided over the ransom of numerous Videssian peasants, who had been held captive in Kubrat, back to their homeland. A young boy named Krispos was chosen to stand next to Omurtag and the Videssian envoys Iakovitzes and Pyrrhos as a symbol of the transaction. Omurtag gave Krispos a gold piece which Krispos treasured as a keepsake ever after.Ibid., pgs. 21-24. After Omurtag's death, his son Malomir became Khagan.Ibid., p. 137. Ordanes (KR) Ordanes was the medical doctor - not a mage or healer - who set Iakovitzes' leg, which had been broken in a traffic accident in Opsikion. A fat, bald, calm man, Ordanes was not disturbed by the nobleman's constant complaining.Ibid., p. 123-125. Roukhas (KR) Roukhas was a Videssian farmer, taken as captive to Kubrat, who considered himself headman of the abductees' village. He immediately took a dislike to new arrival Phostis as a potential rival, and Phostis' son Krispos put a rotten egg under Roukhas' pillow. Roukhas and his family had to sleep outdoors for two days until the air inside was livable again. He never deduced the culprit's identity. Ultimately, Roukhas and Phostis learned to coexist.Ibid., p. 13-17. Sabellia (KR) Sabellia was Phostis' first love. He told his son Krispos of his breakup with her, to soothe the pain of Krispos' breakup with Zoranne.Ibid., p. 39. Sabellios (KR) SabelliosAlso spelled Sebellios. was a healer-priest who treated Iakovitzes' injuries from a traffic accident in Opsikion. He was unable to mend the nobleman's broken leg, which required a healing art little known outside of Videssos the city.Ibid., p. 123-124. Saborios (KR) Saborios commanded a detachment of Videssian soldiers on the coast of Opsikion. Krispos accompanied Saborios' men on one of their night patrols, and intercepted a shipment of amber being smuggled in from Khatrish.Ibid., 133-135. Siderina (KtE) Siderina was a Thanasiot who partook in the Last Meal ceremony along with her husband Laonikos. The ceremony was attended by their son, their daughter, Laonikos' two brothers, and also by Phostis, Olyvria, Syagrios, and numerous others.Ibid., p. 843-845. In all probability, they were murdered before their natural starvation deaths by the mage Artapan to harvest to their death energy. Sisinnios (KR) Sisinnios was the governor of a Videssian province which included Opsikion. He presided over the meeting between Iakovitzes and his Khatrisher opposite number Lexo where an international boundary dispute was settled. Skeparnas (KoV) Skeparnas was mage in the service of General Petronas during the rebellion against Avtokrator Krispos. He deduced the nature of a spell by Krispos' mage Trokoundos which had made Petronas' royal-red boots appear black to most spectators.Ibid., p. 433. When the fortress of Antigonos fell to Krispos' forces, Skeparnas tried to sneak away in a magical disguise which was unmasked by Trokoundos' counter-spell. The two mages began battling each other to the death, and Krispos sent some Halogai bodyguards into the mix. Unable to shield himself magically against multiple foes, Skeparnas was cut down by axes.Ibid., p. 446-447 Sotades (KtE) Sotades was the son of the mage Zaidas and his wife Aulissa. He was 12 years old when the Empire of Videssos was threatened by the Thanasioi rebellion.Ibid., p. 689. Stankos (KR) Stankos was a young Videssian peasant abducted to Kubrati captivity along with Krispos' Family. He remained their neighbor after their ransom and repatriation, and summoned Manganes' soldiers to defend the village from a subsequent Kubrati raid, although their presence proved to be thankfully unnecessary. During the cholera outbreak, he traveled to Imbros and brought back the healer-priest Mokios, who was sadly unable to stem the epidemic.KR, chapters II and III. Stormbreeze (KR) Stormbreeze was one of the prize horses of Iakovitzes' stables. Iakovitzes valued the care Krispos provided to the horse.TToK, p. 84-85. Strabon (KtE) Strabon was a Thanasiot devotee. When Phostis encountered the emaciated, shrunken man, Strabon explained that he had partaken of the Last Meal and was intended to starve to death. He was the first such person Phostis encountered.Ibid., p. 823-827. Phostis later concluded that the already-dying Strabon was probably murdered by Artapan in order to harvest his death-energy.Ibid., p. 938. Stylianos (KR) Stylianos was a wrestler defeated by Beshev the Kubrati, who fatally broke Stylianos' neck.Ibid., p. 156. Krispos, who finally defeated Beshev in the ring after discovering his unfair supernatural advantage, dedicated his win to the late Stylianos.Ibid., p. 160. Thekla (KoV) Thekla was the midwife who delivered Krispos and Dara's son Phostis.Ibid., p. 400-404. Tortured Thanasiot (KtE) A captured rebel from the Thanasioi was captured by Videssian soldiers and brought to Avtokrator Krispos. After the young man angrily affirmed his devotion to the Thanasiot creed and condemned Krispos for being a materialist and turning away from Phos' truth, Krispos gave the prisoner over to the Zaidas, to learn information from the prisoner via the two-mirror spell. The prisoner turned out to be shielded against this magic by the counter-spells of the Makuraner mage Artapan, so Krispos, against all the better angels of his nature, turned the young man over to the torturers, only because there was absolutely no other option. The prisoner's screams kept Krispos awake long into the night.Ibid., p. 766-770. Tribo (KtE) Tribo was a Khatrisher ambassador to the court of Krispos, Avtokrator of Videssos. He communicated the wishes of his master Khagan Nobad to renegotiate trade laws between their respective nations.Ibid., p. 697-701. Later, he brought Krispos Nobad's complaint that the Thanasioi rebels were contaminating Khatrish as well as Videssos,Ibid., 862-863. and later still, Nobad's congratulations on Krispos' defeat of the rebellion but also a futile plea for aid in putting down Khatrish's problems with the same.Ibid., 1003-1005. Tzepeas (KtE) Tzepeas was a Thanasiot who had partaken in the Last Meal and was in the process of starving himself to death. When he encountered the mage Artapan on the street at night, he told the mage of his eager anticipation for leaving the world behind and entering Phos' heaven. Artapan promptly "helped" him along this path by bludgeoning the already-dying man to death, in order to draw energy from this act of passing. Artapan did not know that Phostis was hiding nearby and witnessing the exchange.Ibid., p. 873-874. Tzykalas (KR) Tzykalas was a cobbler whom Krispos' Family met in the Kubrati camp to which they were taken as captives.Ibid., p. 10. Krispos loved the cobbler's daughter Zoranne, but found the man appalling as a possible father-in-law, and so lost Zoranne to Yphantes.Ibid., p. 36-37. Tzykalas' son of the same name died during the cholera outbreak that ravaged their village.Ibid., p. 63. Tzykalas Jr. (KR) Tzykalas, the son of Tzykalas the cobbler, was struck down by the same cholera plague that struck down a part of his village's population, including members of Krispos' Family.Ibid., p. 63. Varades (KR) Varades was a Videssian soldier who had fought in Petronas' army during a war against Makuran. After retiring from the army, he taught Krispos and some other boys to read and write. He died in the cholera epidemic that ravaged their village.KR, chapters II and III. Vledas (KR) Vledas was a Videssian nobleman who ruled an estate near Opsikion. Following his death, his wife Tanilis managed the estate of her own. Their son Mavros had little if any memory of his father. Ypatios (KR) Ypatios was an Agderan fur merchant. When he went to the Imperial Palace of Videssos to present his petition to have tariffs lowered, the Vestiarios Krispos communicated this to Avtokrator Anthimos III, and Ypatios' request was granted.TToK, p. 212-215. Yphantes (KR) Yphantes was a farmer who married Zoranne, daughter of Tzykalas the cobbler. His first wife had died in childbirth a few years before.Ibid., p. 37. Yphantes and Krispos, who was no longer bitter about losing Zoranne, fought side by side against Kubrati bandits who were raiding their village.Ibid., p. 44. His life was saved by Mokios during the cholera epidemic.Ibid., p. 55. Zabdas (KR) Zabdas was a tax collector for the Empire of Videssos. Krispos' home village knew him as a reasonable man, open to listening to extenuating circumstances. Sadly, he was removed from office for unknown reasons, and replaced by the heartless, paranoid Malalas.Ibid., pgs. 61-63. Zernes (KoV) Zernes, a young lieutenant, was one of the few survivors of Sevastos Mavros' last stand against Harvas Black-Robe. He brought the news back to Avtokrator Krispos.Ibid, pgs. 457-458. Zoranne (KR) Zoranne was the daughter of Tzykalas the cobbler. She was Krispos' first sexual experience. He considered proposing to her, but hesitated due to his dislike of his potential father-in-law. Because of this indecision, Krispos lost Zoranne to Yphantes.KR, chapter II. References * *Tale of Krispos, The